Red Is My Heart

A moving, evocative exploration of heartbreak and healing in Paris, told through words and images in this stunning collaboration with French street artist Le Sonneur

＂Enchanting. . . A heartbroken lover’s obsession with his ex is reflected in both images and words＂ -- Washington Post

How can you mend a broken heart? Do you write a letter to the woman who left you--and post it to an imaginary address? Buy a new watch, to reset your life? Or get rid of the jacket you wore every time you argued, because it was in some way responsible?

Combining the wry musings of a rejected lover with playful drawings in just three colours--red, black and white--one of France’s best-selling authors has collaborated with renowned street artist Le Sonneur to create a striking addition to the literature of unrequited love, and a moving, evocative exploration of heartbreak in one of the world’s great cities.

In this playful, poignant series of musings, a nameless narrator remembers a love affair just gone, watches the flight they were due to take to New York depart, sends flowers to a woman who died a century ago, smokes ostentatiously in front of No Smoking signs, and takes solace from the endless distractions and beauty of the city he calls home, Paris. If he walks these streets long enough--the streets of the City of Light, City of Love--he may find himself ready to love again.

Antoine Laurain is the award-winning author of ten novels including The Red Notebook (Indie Next, MIBA bestseller) and The President’s Hat (Waterstones Book Club, Indies Introduce). His books have been translated into 25 languages and sold more than 200,000 copies in English. He lives in Paris, France. Beginning in in 2025, more than a dozen of his greatest works will be published in North America by Pushkin Press.

Jane Aitken is a publisher and translator from the French.

Le Sonneur is a contemporary Parisian artist, whose work is often placed in public spaces with an invitation to passers-by to interact with it, creating an ongoing, ever-changing story of Paris and the people who live there.